Norwich mother won’t give up on missing daughter

Carol Cirioni says five years certainly isn’t long enough to give up hope.

New Year’s Eve marked five years since Cirioni last saw her daughter, Erika Cirioni, and the passage of time has not speeded the healing process. There are too many unanswered questions, she said.

By GREG SMITH

The Bulletin

By GREG SMITH

Posted Jan. 1, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jan 1, 2012 at 1:02 AM

By GREG SMITH

Posted Jan. 1, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jan 1, 2012 at 1:02 AM

Norwich, Conn.

Carol Cirioni says five years certainly isn’t long enough to give up hope.

New Year’s Eve marked five years since Cirioni last saw her daughter, Erika Cirioni, and the passage of time has not speeded the healing process. There are too many unanswered questions, she said.

“As far as the police department — I’ve given up hope,” Cirioni said. “But I’m still looking for my daughter. She may not have been a saint, but she’s a human being and she’s my daughter.”

On Dec. 31, 2006, the 26-year-old stopped at her mother’s home to change, kissed her two children goodnight and headed out to attend a New Year’s Eve celebration in downtown Norwich.

“She said she would be back,” Cirioni said. “But I never saw her again.”

After several years of frantic searching and following tips and leads, the trail has run cold, Cirioni said. Police said Cirioni was last seen shortly after midnight in the area of Boswell Avenue.

Her mother said she still clings to hope her daughter is alive but is also realistic. At the very least, she wants closure.

When news broke earlier this year about the discovery of bodies buried on a beach on Long Island, Cirioni said her first thought was her daughter. In January, the remains of a missing Norwich woman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, was discovered by police in Suffolk County, N.Y. Police suspect her death and the deaths of other women discovered at the same site may be the work of a serial killer.

Cirioni admits she has no evidence that her daughter traveled to New York and said she would not welcome the news if her daughter’s body were identified.

“But at least I would know where she was and not wonder if she’s being held someplace. Is she hungry? Is she cold?” Cirioni said. “You keep guessing. I won’t forget, and I don’t want the public to forget, in case someone comes around with some new information.”

Norwich Police Capt. Patrick Daley said the case is “an active and open investigation.”